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Shortly before Hurricane Katrina’s winds and waters inundated Mississippi’s coast, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) had pushed to open Mississippi waters to natural gas drilling and production. Though the prospect was rebuffed by widespread public opposition from Mississippi residents and citizen groups like the 12 Miles South Coalition, this threat to the health of Mississippi’s […]

Views like this series of natural gas platforms off the coast of Dauphin Island could soon mar Mississippi’s horizon. Photo courtesy of Dr. Olivia Graves. Next June 28th in Gulfport, MS, Gulf Restoration Network and our partners at the 12 Miles South Coalition will be hosting Oil and Gas in Mississippi’s Waters, an evening of

A male magnificent frigatebird puffs up its throat pouch to attract a mate. Photo by US Fish and Wildlife Service.For humans, the ability to distinguish one sex from another is second-nature. Among seabirds, however, one of the only species with easily spotted distinctions between males and females is the magnificent frigatebird. For these birds gender

Mountain of Coal at International Marine Terminals, downriver from the Myrtle Grove Marina. Over the last few months, GRN’s Healthy Waters Team has been busy fighting to keep the Gulf’s waters and wetlands safe for ourselves and future generations. From the effort to ensure that coal terminals don’t pollute Louisiana’s last hope for coastal restoration

Last week, I had the pleasure of leading a boat trip from Venice, Louisiana to the Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area (PLWMA) located in southern Plaquemines Parish at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The request and sponsorship for this trip came from Ulrich Hahnloser from Zurich, Switzerland and Stanislav Macha from the Czech Republic, both

Loggerhead Turtle. Photo courtesy of Ukanda. Last month, a group of volunteers, citizens and scientists made a surprising, and exciting discovery along the beach in Jackson County, Mississippi – a loggerhead sea turtle nest.Loggerhead turtles, a threatened species in the Gulf, grow to over 250 pounds in weight and up to three feet long. Although

Bluefin tuna are incredible fish – the size of small trucks, swimming speeds of up to 50 mph, lifespans of 80 years – that are also incredibly threatened. Right now, there’s an unprecedented opportunity to help the beleaguered bluefin bounce back without overly burdening fishermen, and we need your help.The Gulf of Mexico had already

On June 9th, I had the pleasure of leading another field monitoring trip by boat into Barataria Bay. This trip had been scheduled in advance by GRN staff to provide an opportunity for some of our major donors to accompany me on an excursion to gain some first-hand experience and insight into our field monitoring

Louisiana’s modified coast. Photo GRN (cc)The past week or so has been an interesting and confusing time to be an advocate for Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts. Interesting, because there have been a number of different votes at the state and federal levels dealing with efforts to protect and restore our coast and communities. Confusing, because

On a recent trip to Mississippi’s West Ship Island, GRN’s Raleigh Hoke and I, along with two volunteers started our day by talking to folks about the effort underway to open Mississippi territorial waters to oil and gas drilling. We were invited by former GRN board member and owner/operator of Ship Island Excursions, Louis Skrmetta,